How Do Parents Cope With Losing A Child?

Jan. 7, 2013 - PRLog -- The school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut affected most of us more than usual because the victims were innocent children. The country mourned the loss, and some people were drawn into this more than others.

An author who grew up in the Newtown area, raised his family nearby and later moved out of state, was struck with the grief of knowing how much his former neighbors were suffering.

"I had written a screenplay dealing with such issues a year before the tragedy," says screenwriter turned author Rick Bennette, "but the film had yet to be produced. I had an idea that publishing this book as a means of support might be helpful to those parents, and to anyone else who has had such a loss."

Rick published a book, "My Little Angel", on Amazon within days of the incident and listed it as a free download for Amazon's maximum time period. Over a thousand free copies were downloaded in five days.

Says Rick, "I received some really heartwarming responses to this book. I wasn't prepared for such an emotional response. I'm very pleased this work was able to help some folks deal with this issue in a positive manner, as this is the first time I have written something this emotional."

"My Little Angel" is a work of fiction that deals not with school shootings, but with the individual loss of one father's little girl due to an accident. As he deals with the aftermath of his loss, a spiritual counselor helps point him in a direction of faster recovery. The character of the counselor was modeled after a real counselor the author knew well. The character in the book is an homage to her posthumously.

Rick explains, "I'm not a counselor myself, and the discussion in the chapter of the counseling session was created from my own limited knowledge. I was surprised to hear from some in the business that my fictional dialog between the counselor and father wasn't that far off what would be discussed in a real session. Perhaps that's why this book is such a help to people going through this type of loss."

Amazon's free promotion has expired, but the book is still available at a very minimal price, and some of the profits, if there are any, will be donated to help those in need. Interested readers can find the book by searching the author's name on Amazon's web site.